Do you perhaps still have a million-dollar copy at home? Image: www.imago-images.de
A few shiny cards from the school yard have become real investment properties. Collectors now pay millions for some specimens. Do you perhaps still have a treasure at home?
July 12, 2026, 9:32 p.mJuly 12, 2026, 9:32 p.m
Tim Kröplin / watson.de
For over 30 years, people of all ages have been strolling through store aisles, always looking for new Pokémon products. As big as the pocket monster franchise is, the trading cards remain relatively stable in terms of popularity – unlike video games.
Collecting is an essential part of Pokémon DNA. The cards in their variations, glittering, matt, subtle, overloaded, transfer the “gotta catch em all” slogan wonderfully into real life. Dozens of editions make it impossible to live up to the call, but anyway collecting is the goal, not finishing.
So it’s no surprise that the trading card collecting drive has spawned a market. Rarity value brought some cards into the world of lucrative investment models. Some people are willing to pay thousands to hundreds of thousands for certain specimens. As long as there are interested parties who are prepared to pay horrendous sums, the cards can provide a bit of financial security.
But many people probably don’t realize what treasures they’re sitting on. Strong fluctuations in value make it difficult to keep an overview. To give you a little help, we looked at which cards fetched particularly high prices – whether in an auction or in a (less intensive) standard sale.
5th place: Kangaskhan Holographic Trophy Card
Pokémon is intertwined with a competitive culture. In series, films and games they are the driving force for the dramaturgy. Ultimately, people pit their monsters against each other. Whoever is still standing wins. They’re basically dog fights, just socially accepted ones. The tournaments also spread to the playing card world. There were often unique cards for participants.
This was also the case at a unique tournament in Japan in 1998. Unique in that students had to compete with a parent. The prize card was the Pokémon Kangama. Two copies of these exclusive cards were sold in October 2020 for $150,000 each.
4th place: Ishihara GX Promo
In 2017, the CEO and President of the Pokémon Company, Tsunekazu Ishihara, is said to have distributed a card with himself as a motif and a signature to his employees. The reason for the CEO self-portrayal is said to have been a birthday party. Apparently there are only up to 60 copies. The exceptionally rare card ensured exceptionally high returns. In 2021, someone paid $247,230 for one at a Goldin Auctions auction.
3rd place: Blastoise Wizards of the Coast Presentation Galaxy Star Holo
Image: CGC Comics
The not very catchy name has a history. It is a Turtok card (turtle with cannons) that acted as a test balloon. Wizards of the Coast distributed them to various toy stores to get an idea of what the finished trading card game should look like. So it’s one of the first cards ever. This rare piece sold at Heritage Auctions for $360,000.
2nd place: Charizard 1st Edition Shadowless Base Set
The Charizard card had a special function: it raised awareness of how much people were willing to pay for the cards. Auctions existed before, just as a parallel world for wealthy people. The rapper Logic paid around $226,000 for the most famous card in October 2020.
It’s a card that was included in early core sets, is actually quite common, and fuels nostalgic feelings. A few months after Logic’s purchase, another sale followed for $369,000. The card could theoretically be floating around somewhere with some millennials. The only question is whether there will be buyers.
1st place: Illustrator CoroCoro Comics Promo (Pikachu Illustrator Card)
Only 20 copies printed created a huge distance. The Pikachu card is the rarest and most expensive card ever. CoroCoro Comics distributed them to the winners of a competition in 1997.
In a short period of time, people gradually started paying more for them. In 2019 it was 243,000 US dollars, a year later it was 250,000, then again a year later it was 375,000 and in 2022 it was 900,000. Influencer Logan Paul paid $5.275 million a few months later and auctioned it off in 2026 for $16.5 million.
Apparently people are willing to pay millions for the cards. The latter probably also accounted for the previous owner and the viral story. In the end, you need people who are willing to pay a lot. If this is missing, even the rarest card is useless. Especially in the generation that grew up with Pokémon, there are many bored millionaires who will pay a lot for a retro shot. Just sayin.